Dirty Politics in Osgoode

Having served one term as the councillor for Osgoode, incumbent George Darouze is facing four incumbents, two of them strong
contenders standing in the way of him securing a second term.

There’s Jay Tysick, who most recently ran in the rural area provincially and Kim Sheldrick, a thoughtful candidate, who ran last time against Darouze and knows what she’s talking about it. Both are quality candidates worthy of your consideration.

Also running is Mark Scharfe, who wants to cancel the green bin program. That’s enough for me to dismiss him as a viable candidate. In addition, he doesn’t want senior staff to make more money than Mayor Jim Watson. That’s pie in the sky, won’t happen and you’d never attract quality senior level candidates. Enough said.

Here’s the thing you need to know. Tysick is a good friend of mine. He campaigned for me in 2014 when I barely knew him. Since then, I’ve come to know him as a a solid, loyal friend – who cares deeply about just about everything! He’s a strong family man who wants to make a difference in his community. Our politics differ greatly. But on the municipal level, what matters is a strength of your convictions and the understanding of how the process at city hall works and how to get things done. That description is Tysick to a T.

Darouze was supported last time around by outgoing councillor Doug Thompson, who has since soured on Darouze – and threw his support to Tysick. There were fireworks between Darouze and Tysick during much of a Rogers debate. Seems Darouze is running scared if the Rogers debate is any indication.

There’s a dirty little smear campaign going on directed at Tysick. Seriously kids, is this what you do when confronted with solid competition? Shame. This isn’t meant to implicate Darouze. I have no proof of that. There’s no doubt that the website WhoIsJay.ca appears to have been created to discourage voters from marking their ballot for Tysick. The website has since been taken down, but it was calling for voters to reject Tysick. Joël Charbonneau, a Tysick supporter, filed a complaint about the site on Friday, arguing that the site violated election rules.

According to the complaint filed with the city clerk, the website calling for voters to mark their ballots against Tysick violates the rules for third-party advertisers. Third-party advertisers are not supposed to be in any contact with a candidate in the election. This sort of advertisement — whether it’s an expression of support or opposition- has to be separate from the candidate’s campaign. Charbonneau’s complaint stated the website is hosted by Adam Sooley, who is also the president of the Greely Community Association.

Sooley has confirmed his company was hosting the site but said he was not involved with it and would not say who his clients are. He also confirmed that he was hosting the re-election website for Darouze, the incumbent councillor. That’s cozy.

According to a post on WhoIsJay.ca, seven individuals (not named) are responsible for the site, which makes a number of statements about Tysick. The website could be considered third-party advertising. Third-party advertisers are required to register with Elections Ottawa before any activity, and that wasn’t done in this case.

City solicitor/clerk Rick O’Connor responded to Charbonneau in an email.

“In light of your complaint, I will review this further to assess whether there is a contravention of the MEA (Municipal Elections Act). This review will also further inform me whether or not I will excercise my statutory discretion under the MEA to pursue this issue further,” O’Connor wrote.

There’s a fifth candidate in the race who didn’t appear at the Rogers debate. Auguste Banfalvi, asked by a Citizen survey who he would vote for mayor responded, “None of your business.”

But Darouze didn’t even bother to respond to the Citizen survey. That’s disconcerting. Maybe he doesn’t realize the need to inform or the time restraints most of us have. Of course, in a discussion of city hall meeting locations, Darouze said it was no big deal for residents to take part of their day to attend a meeting at Ben Franklin Place. Clearly, Darouze has forgotten what it’s like to have a 9 to 5 job where you’re expected to be there from 9 to 5, juggle kids and get supper. Sheldrick set him straight.

Ousting an incumbent isn’t easy. But Darouze hasn’t proven himself to be a strong proponent for the rurals.
And while I think highly of Sheldrick, with Mayor Jim Watson at the helm, the rurals need a strong voice.
Tysick is the candidate for the job.

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1 Comment

Monday’s municipal election left a black mark on Osgoode Ward. The fact that the Greely Community Association, an organization that stated it was non-parisan, launched a smear campaign against the strongest non-incumbent candidate is a disgrace.